The Wish
by P.H. Wise
Summary: As a reward for her service as a Champion of the Powers That Be, Buffy is granted a single wish...


The Wish  
by P.H. Wise  
A Buffy one-shot fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. I don't own Angel. These are Joss' kids. I'm just babysitting for a while. Please don't sue me.

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"So, a w-word, huh?" Willow asked, sounding dubious. She sat on the edge of her bed in the two-bed hotel room. Buffy paced back and forth in the space between the beds. The predawn light shone dully through the curtains, and the light of the muted television sent strange patterns of light across the room.

Buffy nodded, understanding full well the perils of being granted a wish, even (and especially) if Whistler DID say it was a reward for her service as a Champion of the Powers That Be. "I know. Pretty wigged out here myself."

"But ya know? He did have a point. It's not every day you defeat the First Evil. Unless you take every good deed, no matter how small as a small victory over the First Evil, in which case it IS every day, and they usually don't grant wishes for everyday wins."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, and Willow turned an interesting shade of red.

"Still, a wish. You could have anything you want..." Willow's eyes widened even as she smiled a goofy smile, "You could have Angel come back to you!"

Buffy smiled. "Now there's a thought."

"And when he comes crawling back, apologizing for ever even THINKING about going off to run Wolfram and Hart and bringing you chocolates and flowers, you could make him sweat for a week or two before finally deciding to take him back. But then you'd have to tell me all about it, 'cause I need my vicarious smoochies."

"You and Kennedy not getting along?"

Willow's face fell, and for once, she didn't babble. "... She's moving back to her parents' home tomorrow."

Buffy put her arm around the redheaded Wicca and made a sympathetic sound. "Well, if Angel comes crawling back, I'll be sure to tell you ALL about it."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Still... a wish."

Buffy smiled wryly. "Dawn would freak if she knew."

"So when are you going to make it?"

"Dunno. Soon, maybe. I need to figure out the wording. Don't wanna leave any room for interpretation."

Willow smiled faintly. "Well, lemme know how it, you know, goes."

Buffy nodded.

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A few hours later, in the full light of morning, Buffy came walking into the hotel room carrying a brand new pair of fashionable, extremely expensive shoes. The TV was off as she walked in, and the curtains were drawn, but Willow was still awake. She sat at the table next to the TV, drinking a glass of orange juice. As Buffy entered, Willow stood up.

"Hey Wills," the Slayer called.

"Buffy! You're back! And you have shoes...!"

A brief silence descended, as Willow looked from Buffy, to the shoes, and back.

silence

Buffy quirked an eyebrow.

And Willow completely flipped out. "Shoes?" she asked incredulously, "You could have wished for anything in the world, and you wished for SHOES?"

Buffy held up her shoes. "Hey! These are nice shoes!"

Willow stared at Buffy in total disbelief for a long moment, and then had no other choice but to laugh, loud and long. Soon, the laughter transformed into hysterical giggles, and after a moment Buffy joined in.

When the giggle-fit had finally subsided, Willow glanced at her dear friend and shook her head. "Shoes," she said.

Buffy's eyes flickered to a point just above Willow's shoulder, and she smiled beatifically.

"What?" Willow asked.

Buffy didn't reply, but turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Willow looked confused for a moment. And then she turned around.

There, standing in front of the sink-and-mirror, next to the bathroom door.

Tara.

Tara, with joy, and tear filled eyes.

Willow dropped her glass of orange juice.

THE END

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Author's notes

- The idea for the story isn't mine. It was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend of mine, who informed me that Joss had originally intended to bring Tara back by means of a wish near the end of season seven (the shoes comment was also drawn from this conversation), but it fell through thanks to contractual problems. I have no idea if there's any truth to it, but I figured that at the very least, I could write a short-fic based on it. I may end up expanding it into a longer story at some point, but I've got several other projects to finish before I can do that.

Willow and Tara forever. :)


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